Attachment for gas-burning apparatus



1955 E. CRAMER 3,200,875

ATTACHMENT FOR GAS-BURNING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 24, 1963 l/vvawron[Mai-laser 095/159 main! fiwa,

ma- FTTOIPA/Fy United States Patent Claims. 61. 158-123) The presentinvention relates to gas-burning apparatus in general, and moreparticularly to an attachment which may be put to use in gas ranges, ingas-burning furnaces, in gas-burning heaters, in gas-heated boilers andin many other types of gas-heated or gas-burning appliances andapparatus. Still more particularly, the invention relates to anattachment which delivers, ignites :and controls the flow of gaseousfuel to such apparatus.

It is an important object of my invention to provide a very simple,exceptionally compact, lightweight and low-cost attachment which may beused in all 'or nearly all types of gas burning or gas-heated apparatusand whose components are readily accessible for the purpose ofinspection, cleaning, replacement and/or repair.

Another object of the invention is to provide an attachment of the justoutlined characteristics wherein the escape of gaseous fuel is preventedin a fully automatic way as soon as the flame on the burner nozzle iscan tinguished, either accidentally or on purpose, wherein the positionof the igniter with respect to the burner nozzle is fixed in such a waythat the gas-igniting portion of the igniter is in optimum position withreference to the gas-discharging portion of the burner nozzle, andwherein the heat sensitive portion of a customar thermoelectric currentgenerator which automatically prevents escape of non-ignited gases ismounted in such a way that it assumes an optimum position with referenceto the gas-discharging portion of the burner nozzle.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an improvedsupporting member for the burner nozzle, igniter and thermoelectriccurrent generator of an attachment which exhibits the above outline-dcharacteristics.

A further object of the invention is to provide a supporting memberwhich aifords access to all or nearly all of the parts supported therebywithout necessitating separation of the supporting member from the wallor another element of the apparatus in which the attachment is put touse.

A concomitant object of the invention is to provide a supporting memberwhich may be detached from the apparatus without necessitating evenpartial dismantling of the apparatus.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a supporting memberwhich is constructed in such a way that it automatically holds theburner nozzle, the igniter and the generator in requisite position assoon as these parts are properly received therein but which neverthelessallows for adjustments of at least one such part in the event that theignition of gases or heating of the generator is not satisfactory whenthe apparatus is in actual use.

A further object of the invention is to provide an attachment whereinthe igniter, the burner nozzle and/or the generator may be detached andreinserted as often as desired without affecting the accuracy of theirpositioning with reference to each other and wherein each of these partsmay be detached and reconnected either by hand or with the help of verysimple n dil available tools.

With the above objects in view, one feature of my invention resides inthe provision of a gas-burning or 3,200,875 Patented Aug. 1?, 1965 icegas-heated apparatus comprising a wall one side of which is more readilyaccessible than the other side, thereof and which is provided with anopening, an attachment including a one-piece supporting member having asubstantially plate-like base adjacent to the one side of the wall so asto extend across the opening and having a readily accessible outer side,and fastener means detachlably securing the base to the one side of thewall. The supporting member comprises a series of holders in the form ofnipples which are integral with the base and which extend through theopening and beyond the other side of the wall, and the attachmentfurther comprises a burner nozzle which is preferably detachablyreceived in one of the nipples, an igniter which is preferablydetacha'bly received in a second nipple and whose gasigniting portion isclosely adjacent to the gas-discharging portion of the burner nozzle,and a thermoelectric current generator which is preferably detachablyreceived in a third nipple and :a heat sen-sitive portion of which isclosely adjacent to the gas-discharging portion of the burner nozzle. Atleast the igniter and the current generator will be normally arranged insuch a way that each thereof is accessible through the outer side of thebase and the arrangement is such that, when properly received in theirrespective nipples, the igniter and the generator will automaticallyassume optimum positions with reference to the gas-discharging portionof the burner nozzle to make sure that the gas discharged by the burnernozzle will be ignited :as soon as the i-gniter is operated and that thegenerator will send an electric current as soon and as long as the gasis burning.

The nipples may be provided with internal threads but, if desired, therespective parts may be retained therein in bayonet lockfashion or inanother suitable way.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic of theinvention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. Theimproved attachment itself, however, both as to its construction and themode of assembling and mounting the same, together with additionalfeatures and advantages thereof, will be best understood from thefollowing detailed description of a specific embodiment with referenceto the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the attachment;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the attachment as seen from thehardto-re-ach inner side of a supporting wall which constitutes acomponent part of the gas-burning apparatus wherein the attachment isput to use; and

FIG. 3 is a section asseen in the direction of arrows from the lineIII-J11 of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings, and first to FIG. 1, there is shown anattachment which is especially suited for use in a gas-burning orgas-heated apparatus such as a gas range, a gas-heated boiler, acontinuously heating gas furnace or the like. It is assumed that theattachment is used ina gas range or a similar appliance and that it issecured to the readily accessible outer side 2012 of a wall 20 which isthe rear wall of the range. This attachment includes a burner here shownas a nozzle 10, an igniter here shown as a spark plug 11, a conventionalthermoelectric current generator 12, and a one-piece supporting member13 which comprises speciallyconfigurated tubular holders or nipplesprovided with sockets for reception of the parts 10, 11 and 12. Thearrangement is such that the burner 10 is accessible from the inner side20a of the wall 20 and that the igniter 11 and generator 12 may bereached from the outer side 2% of this wall. The outer side 2012 is morreadily accessible than the inner side 20a.

The supporting member 13 further comprising a carrier in the form of aplate-like base 18 having at its inner side a slightly raised ovalplatform 18a which fits into a complementary opening 200 of the wall 20.The base 18 extends across the opening 200 and the platform 18a issurrounded by an annular sealing element 21 of elastic material whichabuts against the outer side 20b of the wall 20 around the opening 200.The base 18 is provided with two laterally extending projections or lugs19 which are detachably secured to the outer side 2012 of the wall 20 byscrews 22 or by similar fasteners. The heads (not shown) of the screws22 are located at the outer side 18b of the base 18 so that an operatormay rapidly detach the supporting member 13 merely by withdrawing thescrews 22 and by thereupon withdrawing the platform 18a from the opening20c.

The supporting member 13 further comprises a first tubular holder ornipple which extends through the opening 200 and beyond the inner side aof the wall 20 and which is provided with internal threads to mate withexternal threads provided on the burner 10. It will be noted that theaxis-of the nipple 15 is substantially perpendicular to the generalplane of the base 18. The burner 10 is formed with a central bore 10awhich communicates with three inclined discharge orifices 10b, 10c, 10dand with a bore 23 provided in the base 18. The orifices ltlb-ltld areprovided in the gas-discharging end portion of the burner 10 whichextends beyond the open end of the nipple 15. It will be noted that theburner 10 is held against rotation by a lock nut 24 which bears againstthe end face of the nipple 15. The axial position of the burner 10 maybe adjusted upon loosening of the nut 24. The nipple 15 is aligned witha second tubular holder or nipple 25 which extends beyond the outer side18b of the base 18 and which is provided with internalthreads to take anexternally threaded annular plug 26 connected to the discharge end of agas supply conduit 27 which contains a safety valve 28. The valve 28 isof known design and is operated either manually by a pushbutton 29 orautomatically by the thermoelectric current generator 12 in a mannerwhich will be described later. There is a packing 30 which isaccommodated in the socket of the nipple 25 and which is compressed bythe plug 26 to prevent escape of gas at the outer side of the supportingmember 13. The operative connection between the safety valve 28 and thethermoelectric current generator 12 comprises a conductor 31 oneterminal portion of which is electrically connected with the generator12 by means of a nut 32.

A third tubular holder or nipple 16 of the supporting member 13 extendsthrough the opening 200 and beyond the inner side 20a of the wall 20 andis provided with internal threads to take an externally threaded annularplug 33 which causes a boss 11a on the central portion of the igniter 11to abut against the inwardly bent annular edge portion 16a at the openend of the nipple 16 and to thereby provide a fluidtight seal betweenthe socket of'the nipple 16 and the space at the inner side 20a of thewall 20. The socket of the nipple 16 is open at the outer side 18b ofthe base 18 so that an operator may engage the rear end of the plug 33by means of a suitable tool in order to remove the igniter 11 for thepurpose of inspection or replacement. The plug 33 is formed with slots33a which may receive the tip of a suitable tool. A similar slot 10;: isprovided in the gasdischarging portion of the burner 10 so that it maytake the tip of a screwdriver which serves to unscrew the burner fromthe socket of the nipple 15.

A fourth tubular holder or nipple 17 of the supporting member 13 issimilar to the nipple 16 and serves to receive the externally threadedcentral portion of the thermoelectric current generator 12 so that theheat-sensitive tip 12a of the generator is located between the orifices10c, 10d, see FIG. 2. Thus, the tip 12a extends beyond the open end ofthe nipple 17 and is closely adjacent to the gas-discharging portion ofthe burner 10.

The generator 12 may be reached from the outer side 1812 of the base 18because the outer end of the socket defined by the nipple 17 is open andbecause a portion of this generator extends beyond the outer side 18a.will be noted that the axis of the nipple 16- is inclined with referenceto the nipple 15 so that the gas-igniting electrode 11b of the igniter11 extends beyond the open end of the nipple 16 and into close proximityof the orifice 10b in the gas-discharging portion of the burner 10. Thearrangement is such that, when the attachment is fully assembled, theelectrode 11b automatically assumes an optimum position with referenceto the orifices 10c, 10d whereby any likelihood of improper operation isavoided at all times. A conductor 34 connects the igniter 11 with asuitable source of electrical energy, not shown. The outer end portionof the igniter 11 extends beyond the outer side 18a of the base 18.

When the operator desires to use the gas range, the pushbutton 29 isdepressed so that a stream of gas flows toward the orifices 10b-10d, andthe operator simultaneous-ly completes the circuit of the igniter 11whereby the electrode 11b ignites the gas stream which escapes throughthe orifice 10b. The resulting flame F ignites the gas streams whichflow through the orifices 10c, 10d so that the tip 12a is heated and thegenerator 12 sends a weak current to a suitable electromagnet which isaccommodated in the safety valve 28 and which is thus energized toautomatically retain the valve 28 in open position as long as the flamesat the orifices 10c, 10d heat the tip 12a. The operator is now free torelease the pushbutton 29 because the energized electromagnet continuesto maintain the safety valve 28 in open position as long as the gasescaping from the burner 10 is ignited. When the flames areextinguished, either accidentally or on purpose, the tip 12a is cooledand the generator 12 ceases to send a current through the conductor 31so that the safety valve 28 closes in a fully automatic way and preventsuncontrolled escape of gas. The construction of the safety valve 28 isdescribed in full detail in a co pending application Serial No. 311,062of Josef Schmid and Andreas Pritzkow (entitled Electromagnet for safetyvalves and the like) which is assigned to the same assignee.

The one-piece supporting member 13 may be made of metallic or syntheticplastic material and one of its important advantages is found to residein that the cooperating parts 10, 11, 12 of the improved attachment areautomatically located in requisite position with refer ence to eachother so that there is no danger of uncon trolled escape of gas once theattachment is secured to the wall 20. Another important advantage of theattachment is seen in that the member 13 may be rapidly attached to ordisconnected from the outer side 28b of the wall 20 and that nearly allof its parts may be detached even if the supporting member 13 remainssecured to the wall. It goes without saying that the attachment of myinvention may be modified in such a way that the burner 10 is accessiblefrom the outer side 18]: of the base 18 and that the igniter 11 (whichis shown in the form of a spark plug) may be replaced by a differentigniter (for example, one wherein the gasigniting electrode 11b isreplaced by a hot wire) without in any way departing from the spirit ofthis invention.

The improved attachment is of particular advantage in such types ofgas-burning appliances and apparatus wherein the interior of theapparatus is normally hard to reach without partial or completedismantling of its parts. By providing the burner, the igniter and thegenerator on a common support which is accessible from the outer side ofa wall or a similar element of the apparatus, I can reach, inspect,replace or clean the aforementioned pants without necessitating evenpartial dismantling of the apparatus. The igniter and/or the burner maybe withdrawn while the supporting member remains attached to theapparatus and the burner may be reached;

upon separation of the supporting member from the apparatus.

For example, and if the attachment is put to use in a gas-heated boiler,the boiler may be installed in a normally locked room and the attachmentmay be reached through an aperture or window provided in one wall of theboiler room so that the operator need not enter the boiler room when hedesires to gain access to the burner, igniter and/or generator of theimproved attachment. In such types of gas-heated apparatus, thepositioning of the igniter and generator with reference to the burner isof utmost importance because the apparatus is normal- 1y locked and theoperator must rely on the supporting member to hold these parts inrequisite position. To my knowledge, presently used gas-heated orgas-burning apparatus are not provided with one piece supporting memberswhich can automatically retain the igniter and/ or the thermoelectriccurrent generator in optimum position with respect to the burner.

In many types of gas-burning or gas-heated apparatus, the burner of myimproved attachment serves as a means for igniting one or more mainburners of the apparatus, i.e., this burner may perform the function ofa pilot burner. The base 18 of the attachment may be mounted in ahorizontal, vertical or otherwise inclined plane without affecting theoperation of parts which are mounted on the supporting member. Thefeature that the wall 24 must be formed with a single opening c is ofparticular advantage when the improved attachment is to be installed ina conventional gas-burning or gasheated apparatus. Also, this singleopening 20c may be sealed by a single washer or similar sealing element.

In accordance with a slight modification Otf my invention which is sosimple that it will be readily understood without necessitating aseparate illustration, the supporting member 13 and the burner 10 may beprovided with two or more gas-conveying bores of different diameters sothat the attachment may be used in connection with different types ofgaseous fuel. The operator merely seals one or more bores and permitsthe fuel to flow through such bores whose diameters are suflicient toconvey requisite quantities of a given fuel. In such constnuctions, theburner is normally provided with two or more sets of gas-dischargingorifices.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge,readily adapt it for various applications without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic and specific aspects of this invent-ionand, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to becomprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a gas-burning apparatus, in combination, a wall having a firstside, a second side and an opening; an attachment comprising a one-piecesupporting member having a base extending across said opening andadjacent to the first side of said wall, and three substantially tubularholders integral with said base and extending through said opening, aburner received in and having a portion extending beyond the first ofsaid holders at the second side of said Wall, an igniter received in thesecond of said holders and having a portion adjacent to said portion ofthe burner, said second tubular holder being inclined with respect tosaid first tubular holder, and a thermoelectric current generatorreceived in the third of said holders and having a portion adjacent tosaid portion of the burner, whereby said igniter and said generator areremovable from their respective holders at the side of said base whichis spaced from the first side of said wall; and fastener means securingsaid base to said wall, said fastener means being accessible from thatside of said base which is spaced from said wall whereby said supportingmember is removable from the first side thereof.

2. In a gas-burning apparatus, in combination, a wall having a firstside, a second side and an opening; an attachment comprising a one-piecesupporting member having a base extending across and covering saidopening and adjacent to the first side of said Wall and having aplurality of projections, and three substantially tubular holdersintegral with said base, a burner received in and having a portionextending beyond the first of said holders at the second side of saidwall, an igniter received in the second of said holders and having aportion adjacent to said portion of the burner, said second tubularholder being inclined with respect to said first tubular holder, meansaccessible from said first side of said wall for detachably securingsaid igniter to said second holder, a thermoelectric current generatorreceived :in the third of said holders and having a portion adjacent tosaid portion of the burner, and means accessible from said first side ofsaid Wall for detachably securing said generator to said third holder,whereby said igniter and said generator are removable from therespective holders at that side of the base which is spaced from thefirst side of said wall; and fastener means detachably securing saidprojections to said wall and being accessible from that side of saidbase which is spaced from the first side of said Wall.

3. In a gas-burning apparatus, in combination, a wall having a readilyaccessible first side, a less readily accessible second side, and anopening, an attachment comprising a one-piece supporting member having abase adjacent to the first side of said wall and extending across andcovering said opening, said base having a readily accessible outer sidefacing away from the first side of said wall, a first substantiallytubular holder which is integral with said base and which extendsthrough said opening and is provided with an open end at the second sideof said of said wall, a burner received in and having a gas-dischargingportion extending beyond the open end of said first holder, a pair ofadditional tubular holders each extending through said opening andhaving an open end adjacent to the second side of said wall, each ofsaid additional holders being integral with said base and each defininga socket which is open at the outer side of said base, an igniterreceived in the socket of one said additional holders and having a gasigniting portion extending beyond the open end of said one additionalholder and into close proximity of said gas-discharging portion, meansfor detachably securing said igniter to said one holder, the last saidsocket being inclined with respect to the other sockets, athermoelectric current generator received in the other additional holderand having a heat-sensitive portion extending beyond the open end ofsaid other additional holder and into close proximity of saidgas-discharging portion, and means for detachably securing saidgenerator to said other additional holder, said igniter and saidgenerator being removable from the respective sockets at the outer sideof said base; and fastener means detachably securing said base to saidwall.

4. In a gas-burning apparatus, such as a gas range, in combination, awall having a readily accessible outer side, a less readily accessibleinner side and an opening; a one-piece supporting member comprising abase having a readily accessible outer side facing away from said firstmentioned outer side, a platform integral with said base and extendinginto said opening, a first internally threaded tubular nipple integralwith and extending from the outer side of said base, said first nipplehaving an open end distant from said base, a second internally threadednipple integral with said platform and extending through said openingand beyond the inner side of said Wall, said second nipple having anopen end distant from said platform, a third internally threaded nippleinclined with reference to said second nipple and extending through saidwall at the opening and beyond the inner side of said wall, said thirdnipple having a first open end at the outer side of said base, and asecond open end adjacent to the open end of said second nipple, a fourthinternally threaded nipple integral with said platform and extendingthrough said opening and beyond the inner side of said wall inparallelism with said second nipple, said fourth nipple having a firstopen end at the outer side of said base and a second open end adjacentto the open end of said second nipple, and two apertured lugs extendinglaterally from said base adjacent to the outer side of said Wall; anannular sealing element surrounding said platform and abutting againstthe outer side of said Wall; a fastener extending through each of saidlugs and into said Wall to secure said supporting member to said wall;an externally threaded burner noz zle screwed into and having agas-discharging portion extending beyond the open end of said secondnipple, locking means for preventing rotation of said burner nozzle; agas supply conduit having an end portion extending into the open end ofsaid first nipple and communicating with the bore of said burner nozzlevia a bore provided in said supporting member; an igniter comprising agasigniting portion extending beyond the second open end of said thirdnipple and into close proximity of said gas discharging portion; aconductor connected with said igniter and arranged to conduct electriccurrent neces sary to ignite the gas discharged from said gasdischarging portion when the circuit of the igniter is completed; anexternally threaded thermoelectric current generator comprising acentral portion received in and meshing with said fourth nipple, saidgenerator further comprising a heat-sensitive portion extending beyondthe second open end of said fourth nipple and into close proximity ofsaid gas discharging portion of said burner nozzle, said generator beingarranged to produce a weak electric current in response to heating ofsaid heat-sensitive portion by flames developing upon ignition of gasescaping from said gas discharging portion; an electromagneticallyoperated safety valve provided in said conduit and arranged to controlthe flow of gas to said burner nozzle; manually operated means foropening said valve at the will of the operator; and an operativecurrent-conducting connection between said generator and said valvearranged to automatically retain the valve in open position when the gasescaping from said gas discharging portion and 4 heating saidheat-sensitive portion is ignited and to automatically close said valvewhen said heat-sensitive portion thereof is not heated.

5. In a gas-burning apparatus, in combination, a wall having a readilyaccessible first side, 'a less readily accessible second side, and anopening, an attachment comprising a one-piece supporting member having abase adjacent to the first side of said Wall and extending across andcovering said opening, said base having a readily accessible outer sidefacing away from the first side of said wall, a first substantiallytubular holder which is integral with said base and which extendsthrough said opening and is provided with an open end at the second sideof said wall, a burner received in and having a gas-discharging portionextending beyond the open end of said first holder, a pair of additionaltubular holders each extending through said opening and having an openend adjacent to the second side of said wall, each of said additionalholders being integral with said base and each defining a socket whichis open at the outer side of said base, an igniter received in thesocket of one of said additional holders and having a gas-ignitingportion extending beyond the open end of sad one additional holder andinto close proximity of said gas-discharging portion, one of saidportions being inclined with respect to the other portion, means fordetachably securing said igniter to said one holder, a thermoelectriccurrent generator received in the other additional holder and having aheat-sensitive portion extending beyond the open end of said otheradditional holder and into close proximity of said gas dischargingportion, and means for detachably securing said gen- .erator to saidother additional holder, said igniter and said generator being removablefrom'the respective sockets at the outer side of said base; and fastenermeans detachably securing said base to said wall.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 FREDERICK L.MATTESON, JR., Primary Examiner.

MEYER PERLIN, JAMES W. WESTHAVER,

Examiner.

1. IN A GAS-BURNING APPARATUS, IN COMBINATION, A WALL HAVING A FIRSTSIDE, A SECOND SIDE AND AN OPENING; AN ATTACHMENT COMPRISING A ONE-PIECESUPPORTING MEMBER HAVING A BASE EXTENDING ACROSS SAID OPENING ANDADJACENT TO THE FIRST SIDE OF SAID WALL, AND THREE SUBSTANTIALLY TUBULARHOLDERS INTEGRAL WITH SAID BASE AND EXTENDING THROUGH SAID OPENING, ABURNER RECEIVED IN AND HAVING A PORTION EXTENDING BEYOND THE FIRST OFSAID HOLDERS AT THE SECOND SIDE OF SAID WALL, AN IGNITER RECEIVED IN THESECOND OF SAID HOLDERS AND HAVING A PORTION ADJACENT TO SAID PORTION OFTHE BURNER, SAID SECOND TUBUALAR HOLDER BEING INCLINED WIGH RESPECT TOSAID FIRST TUBULAR HOLDER, AND A THERMOELECTRIC CURRENT GENERATORRECEIVED IN THE THIRD OF SAID HOLDERS AND HAVING A PORTION ADJACENT TOSAID PORTION OF THE BURNER, WHEREBY SAID IGNITER AND SAID GENERATOR AREREMOVABLE FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE HOLDERS AT THE SIDE OF SAID BASE WHICHIS SPACED FROM THE FIRST SIDE OF SAID WALL; AND FASTENER MEANS SECURINGSAID BASE TO SAID WALL, SAID FASTENER MEANS BEING ACCESSIBLE FROM THATSIDE OF SAID BASE WHICH IS SPACED FROM SAID WALL WHEREBY SAID SUPPORTINGMEMBER IS REMOVABLE FROM THE WALL AT THE FIRST SIDE THEREOF.